12.19.2011

The world is larger than what you know : Considering the Deaf/HOH on YouTube

I am definitely guilty of this and reading this makes me feel like crap. In a way I'm happy I keep most of my info. in written form but still, I know in some way I've violated and discriminated without even realizing it. Thanks to CurlyNikki for posting this... this will definitely help me design my future posts and videos.



Youtube has been an invaluable resource throughout my natural hair course. The ladies who take the time to make videos to share with us, all rock in their own special ways.

The only complaint that I have really, is that some don't seem to consider their D/deaf or Hard of Hearing audience. Vloggers, please do not forget your D/deaf audience. There is a massive amount of D/deaf & HOH people all throughout the country, and I am sure many of them are naturals...or wanna be, and can benefit from the information shared within those videos.

Imagine finding a natural hair video on Youtube, that you feel, just by looking at the title that your pressing question may finally be answered. So you click on the video, and once it starts, the Vlogger is speaking so fast you can't possibly rely on lip reading, and there is not a tap of captioning included, highlighting the main points. You're a little disheartened but not to worry, there is always the more info/description box, so you head there and its blank or gives you not a hint as to the break down of that video.

I swear every time I find a video like that it feels like some D/deaf natural is somewhere relaxing her hair in frustration.

Why is this important to me? Because I am a deaf natural & so are some of my friends. I can not tell you how many times I've been faced with the above mentioned scenario. Clear pronunciation, facing the camera when speaking, captions within the video or a detailed description box are treasures to me. Blogger/Vlogger Mae of Natural Chica is a wonderful exemplar of this!

{Check out Caption Tube, and this helpful article on Mashable for video captioning help}


Another option could be that if you have a blog in addition to your Youtube channel, you can briefly summarize your video in a blog post. Nothing major, simply include the title of the video, ingredients & step order if it's a tutorial. If it's a review, tell us whether or not you'd use the product again, and if you'd like, a one or two sentence reasoning. Heck if you don't have a stand alone blog...send the info to me and I'll post it on Curly Hue (giving you full credit of course). Just do something... just don't leave us out.

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